Both
by viicious
Summary: Not sure if I dreamt this or was half-asleep and thought it up... I made Kadaj child-like because although I find him without fear, it seems at times he needs protection.


Kadaj ran into the abandoned ShinRa Corporate Tower. The receptionist's desk was wide; he hid underneath it. He was pissed. He couldn't understand how someone as sweet as Loz can be could be such a derogatory, ignorant idiot. He knew Yazoo would follow him, but he didn't expect him so soon when the same door he'd gone through swished around on the dead remnance of the Corporate Tower.

"Kadaj?" Yazoo called. He took a few steps, noting the empty halls and the long, wide staircases. Only place to hide...? Yazoo turned to the desk without moving forward.

"Kadaj, he's not here."

Listening to nothing but his breathing and the silence, he became convinced and stood up towards Yazoo. Over the desk, his older brother smiled.

"I'm sure Loz will say he's sorry," Yazoo tried to assure Kadaj.

"Yeah, right," Kadaj retorted, then noticed the shadow closing in on the door. He recognised it immediately.

"You lied to me!" he yelled, and hid behind the desk again, sobbing.

In came Loz in a very cocky manner, looking around for a second, before hearing Kadaj's cries.

"Heh heh," he laughed, looking at only the desk, "So baby ran and hid, huh?"

Yazoo shook his head.

"Loz, I want to get Kadaj to go," he told Loz, looking annoyed, "Do you mind?"

"What," Loz demanded, ignoring Kadaj's sniffs.

"You're antagonising him," said Yazoo, "Get the fuck out."

Loz managed a stiff laugh, but obeyed Yazoo and left. He stood outside, bored, the sun piercing the west sky in a solid-colour sunset. Yazoo turned to the desk again, but Kadaj hadn't stopped crying. Yazoo thought for a moment before leaning on the desk.

"Hey, you know," he said mildly, "If there was anyone here, I bet they'd be freaking out right now."

Kadaj didn't laugh, but he stopped sobbing, and sniffed occasionally.

"Hah hah, imagine the look on the receptionist's face when you came in here! Bet it would have been a riot."

A little silver head popped up over the side of the desk, red eyes puffy.

"And what else?" Kadaj asked softly.

"What else?" Yazoo asked playfully, smiling, "Well, then I'd have to apologise. 'Sorry, my little brother likes to hide under people's skirts. Watch out ma'am!'"

Here, Kadaj laughed. It sounded funny, and Yazoo wondered if he'd forced it out. Alas, Kadaj stood up and came around to him, and he opened his arms. Kadaj gently cascaded into Yazoo's chest, and the embrace ensued.

"Oh, don't let Loz screw with you," Yazoo told him, "You know how he is..."

They came away from the hug, and Yazoo took Kadaj's right hand. They walked out together, meeting Loz without a word. They walked for a while into the sunset, the orange colour dying the entire plaza, their long shadows like a needle spread out after them.

"So, Loz, have anything to say to Kadaj?" Yazoo asked casually, and Loz rolled his eyes.

"Look, Yazoo, I was just having a laugh," he shrugged, and Kadaj glared at him, "It was funny! You didn't think so? That's too bad."

Yazoo closed his eyes, ordering his thoughts. He knew what was coming.

"It's not that funny when you are tricked," Yazoo replied.

"Oh, I don't think so," Loz said in a very blasé way, "I probably would have laughed my ass off if it had been me."

_'I doubt that...'_ Yazoo thought to himself, opening his eyes to the glow of the sun.

"I mean, jeez, did you see the way Kadaj freaked? Reminded me of a two-year-old." He laughed and Yazoo stopped walking.

"Loz, could you just stop fucking around with Kadaj all the time?" Yazoo asked, as Loz, too, stopped, smiling widely. "It does hurt his feelings."

Loz came close to Yazoo, but didn't try to lower his voice at all.

"That's because he's a pussy, Yazoo!" he told him, wondering if Kadaj's quivering figure would alight his vision soon (a funny thought), "Come on, we all want Mother, but he gets ridiculous sometimes. Acting like a weakling, or something... I thought the trap was funny. So Mother wasn't there, so what? How long have we been searching for her?"

Yazoo took his hand and gently pushed on Kadaj's chest, telling him to move away. With his back to Loz, he asked him a last question before making his decision.

"So why would you just make fun of him, knowing we're all in the same predicament?"

"Why?" Loz asked to the back of Yazoo's head, "Because he's an easy target. Because he's a fucking baby."

SNAP. Yazoo whirled around, his left leg up to collide with Loz's cheekbone in a high roundhouse kick. Loz hit the ground hard, smashing his right shoulder into solid concrete. Kissing the floor wasn't the last insult; his jaw bone was temporarily dislocated, and he could taste the warm, iron-flavoured liquid that came with biting his cheek. He stood up, enraged. He adjusted his jaw, staring daggers at Kadaj, then Yazoo. Yazoo was icy, Kadaj coming to grasp his hand again, watching, not amused and not afraid.

"So that's how it is, huh?" Loz said, his tongue showing a dark red as he spoke, "You choose the baby over the first?"

"Oh my god, Loz," Yazoo rolled his eyes, sighing, losing his steely put-on, "I knew you were gonna fucking go there."

"Whatever," he spat blood out, "Just answer me."

"You obviously don't know me then, Loz," he told him, "Because if you did, you'd know how much I love both my brothers, young and old, and that I would do anything to help them. But you have to know that I can't help you in the same way I help Kadaj."

Loz listened stiffly, his cheek already inflamed.

"Kadaj's temperament makes it tough for me to do anything but baby him."

"Hey!" Kadaj snapped, but Yazoo shushed him.

"But you're not that wavering, Loz. I don't need to baby you to help you. I mean, god, you should know that by now... We're brothers, aren't we?"

Kadaj looked between Loz and Yazoo, while Loz thought on Yazoo's words. He didn't need to be told twice; Yazoo knew exactly how to help both of them if they were in trouble. Yazoo always knew just how to do it, too. Like he watched their movements all the time and calculated the best possible way to help in a flash. Problem? Solution! Problem? Solution! Even now, as Loz realised with a sinking feeling, Yazoo was helping both of them. Loz always felt like the saviour amongst them; looking on it now, it was Yazoo in that department.

Without a word, Loz continued to walk. But Yazoo knew what it meant.

They walked into the sunset, their silhouettes vermillion-edged.


End file.
